Using NQR on a Walk
This week I want to continue talking about "Not Quite Right" (NQR) and how to put it to practical use.
Here is a video of Gunny and I putting the feeling of NQR into practice. Using feelings of NQR as in this example has nearly eliminated Gunny's need to hurry as we are walking out and about. For years Gunny would consistently want to hurry as soon as we passed the halfway point of our ride or walk. Gunny's version of hurrying was just that he would lengthen his stride to walk faster than I was walking. His physical demeanor still looked relaxed and willing, it was just like he shifted into another gear. He would persistently continue to speed up despite hundreds of requests to slow down. He would slow down for a step and as soon as I released the request he would speed back up to the pace he wanted to go. Frustrating to say the least!
I tried many, many different techniques to try to get the message across that a request to slow down meant that I wanted him to slow down and stay slowed down. It was as if he could not comprehend what I wanted no matter how I tried to explain it.
In this video Gunny stays walking the same relaxed pace for the duration of the short walk. This is something that looks pretty ho-hum, but is a big deal for us. Now, if we are walking and I have paid attention to any feelings of NQR and addressed them but Gunny still picks the pace up, I am able to make a request for a slower speed and he is able to comply.
I think that the reason that listening to NQR and addressing it resulted in Gunny being able to walk slower plus comply to a request to walk slower was because his hurried walk was a symptom of tension and NQR's that I had missed. (Because I didn't even know what they were or to look for them.) And I think that truly Gunny couldn't comprehend the request to slow down because of the tension that was a subtle undercurrent but not manifesting as a physical appearance of tension.
Listening to and addressing NQR's with your horse might have a different result. It depends on the individual horse. Another horse-human relationship might have a result of a horse being shut down or really lazy as the symptom. And if that person started to listen for and do something about NQR's, that horse might become more bright and energetic.
Here is a video of Gunny and I putting the feeling of NQR into practice. Using feelings of NQR as in this example has nearly eliminated Gunny's need to hurry as we are walking out and about. For years Gunny would consistently want to hurry as soon as we passed the halfway point of our ride or walk. Gunny's version of hurrying was just that he would lengthen his stride to walk faster than I was walking. His physical demeanor still looked relaxed and willing, it was just like he shifted into another gear. He would persistently continue to speed up despite hundreds of requests to slow down. He would slow down for a step and as soon as I released the request he would speed back up to the pace he wanted to go. Frustrating to say the least!
I tried many, many different techniques to try to get the message across that a request to slow down meant that I wanted him to slow down and stay slowed down. It was as if he could not comprehend what I wanted no matter how I tried to explain it.
In this video Gunny stays walking the same relaxed pace for the duration of the short walk. This is something that looks pretty ho-hum, but is a big deal for us. Now, if we are walking and I have paid attention to any feelings of NQR and addressed them but Gunny still picks the pace up, I am able to make a request for a slower speed and he is able to comply.
I think that the reason that listening to NQR and addressing it resulted in Gunny being able to walk slower plus comply to a request to walk slower was because his hurried walk was a symptom of tension and NQR's that I had missed. (Because I didn't even know what they were or to look for them.) And I think that truly Gunny couldn't comprehend the request to slow down because of the tension that was a subtle undercurrent but not manifesting as a physical appearance of tension.
Listening to and addressing NQR's with your horse might have a different result. It depends on the individual horse. Another horse-human relationship might have a result of a horse being shut down or really lazy as the symptom. And if that person started to listen for and do something about NQR's, that horse might become more bright and energetic.
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